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Medial vs Distal - What's the difference?

medial | distal |

In linguistics terms the difference between medial and distal

is that medial is closer to the addressee while distal is far from the speaker.

As adjectives the difference between medial and distal

is that medial is of or pertaining to a mean or average while distal is remote from the point of attachment or origin; as, the distal end of a bone or muscle.

As a noun medial

is one or more letters that occur in the middle of a word.

medial

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Of or pertaining to a mean or average.
  • :
  • In or near the middle; not at either end.
  • *
  • *:Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial , or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.
  • (lb) Pertaining to the inside; closer to the midline.
  • :
  • # (entomology) Of or pertaining to the media and/or the areas of the wing next to it.
  • (lb) Closer to the addressee.
  • Antonyms

    * (anatomy) lateral

    Coordinate terms

    *

    Derived terms

    * medial capital * medially

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One or more letters that occur in the middle of a word.
  • Any of various things that occur in the middle.
  • Anagrams

    * *

    distal

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (anatomy, geology) Remote from the point of attachment or origin; as, the distal end of a bone or muscle.
  • (dentistry) Facing the wisdom tooth or temporomandibular joint on the same side of the jaw.
  • (linguistics) Far from the speaker.
  • Antonyms

    * (remote from the point) proximal * (dentistry) mesial

    Coordinate terms

    * *

    Derived terms

    * distally * distal phalange * distal goal

    Anagrams

    * ----